The FBI's Boston division returned a 17th-century reliquary urn to the Italian Republic on Wednesday, May 1, 2026, following a multi-year international investigation into artifacts stolen from a historic church. The gilded wooden vessel was recovered in February after being discovered in the possession of an antiques dealer in the Northeast United States.
Authorities identified the urn as one of 17 ecclesiastical items stolen from the Church of San Michele Arcangelo di Cangiano between August 2012 and August 2022. The recovery process culminated in a formal repatriation ceremony held Wednesday after federal agents secured the item on Feb. 11.
